The number of overseas visitors is up 11pc to almost 4.5 million so far this year, and the crucial June-to-August period saw a 6pc increase with more than 120,000 extra foreign tourists compared with last summer, new figures from the Central Statistics Office show.

Visitor numbers from Britain were up 8pc this year.

Holiday-makers from North America were up 12.6pc, European visitor numbers were up 13pc, and trips by visitors from Australia and developing markets were 17.5pc higher than last year.

The figures also revealed that Irish people had cut back on overseas trips. There were 4.45 million foreign trips made so far this year -- a drop of 4pc over the same period last year.

Tourism Minister Leo Varadkar described the increase in visitors from Britain --our most important overseas market -- as very encouraging.